


Future

by seaofolives



Series: Fire & Steel Playbook [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkward Crush, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Crushes, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Inspired by Music, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Multiple, Pining, Pre-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Secret Crush, Songfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29262921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaofolives/pseuds/seaofolives
Summary: “What happened to all that pep talk I gave you last night?”“About just being myself when I am talking to my crush?” Ignis glanced at his rear view mirror, as if it would show him an inch of Noctis. “And what gave you the idea that I was pretending otherwise?”“Because the Ignis I know would know exactly what to say in any situation.” Noctis was back beside him, still smiling if Ignis saw right by the corner of his eye. “And besides, he’s just Gladio! Sure he’s your crush but you know, he’s just Gladio!”“Indeed,” Ignis sighed, merging carefully to a major road as he turned right. “He just so happens to be the first man I have ever fallen in love with…”a candy-flavored love story. written as a one-shot, split into chapters for ease of reading.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Series: Fire & Steel Playbook [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979386
Comments: 10
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday to ignis!! \o/ normally i leave these notes at the end but this story calls for an entirely different arrangement so here we are! this is inspired by red velvet's _[future](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa98udx3O_o)_ and while listening to the song is not required to appreciate the story, it might be worth it if you're keen. anyway, hope you guys enjoy this little offering to ignis' birthday and valentine's day~ o/

Most days—that is, when Ignis had no pressing engagement with the council or say, school or his other pursuits of the academic nature—it wasnʼt strange for him to be making himself comfortable in the training room while Noctis finished his own lessons. He would claim one of the benches lined up along the wall, bring out his laptop and the notebook Lady Lunafreya had crafted for him, and mind his own business. Time and again, he would check on his charge, especially when he was in another inane argument with his trainer. However, this day was not like most days.

In fact…for the past few weeks, it hasn’t been like most days at all. 

As soon as the clock on his phone struck 3:41, Ignis packed up his notes, paid for his coffee and cake and left the empty cafe post-haste. Everything was timed perfectly according to his various rehearsals and it was important for him not to miss even one second. He would have to have made it in his car parked just in front as the minute ticked 3:42, and would have to be merging into the private road just seconds shy of 3:43. That would bring him around 3 minutes to the southern gate of the Citadel which was only a minute and a half away from the Crownsguard training hall on foot. 

Ignis knew he had succeeded in his plan when he stepped through the double doors and saw by his phone that it was already 3:48—not too late that he couldnʼt assist Noctis with his things as he finished up and not too early that he could be suspected of…being early on purpose. And the odd minute—that is, not one that ended in a 0 or a 5—could play up to the fact that he had only arrived at that time purely by coincidence. Which is to say, no one would ever accuse him of having…ulterior motives, as it were. 

In any case, _he was there_ , the battle was won, and it was time to reap his rewards. 

He’d walked in just as the prince and his trainer were already cooling down, the older man’s low voice filling the empty space easily. He was counting down for them, both their hands pressed onto the back of their bowed heads. Ignis was surprised when those amber eyes caught sight of him, inviting his hand to jump up for a small wave. 

He was graced with a quick smile before Gladio returned his attention to their charge. Ignis swore that was enough to cause his heart to dance. He waited by his usual bench while they finished up their exercise, shaking their arms and legs, Noctis kicking some here and there. 

A quick bump of fists and they were done. Noctis waved to Ignis as he started for the locker room to freshen up before they headed on home. 

Leaving him alone in that big room with Gladio who would be pulling off his shirt because of course, he would. 

Ignis refused to falter in his approach despite the warm pink hue that painted his cheeks, even clearing his throat behind his fist to draw his friend’s attention. “How was training?” he asked. As seriously and casually as he could muster while he fought a buttery smile off his face and stuck to the scenario he had practiced in his head. To aid in the war efforts, he pushed his glasses back a little. 

Gladio was moving his head in a series of nods, spreading his elbows outwards with his fists on his sides, as if Ignis needed convincing that the gods had granted him the gift of a spectacular body. That his Shield’s Crest was still little more than an outline along his front and his shoulders did nothing to diminish his beauty. “Not bad. Much less whining from yesterday at any rate but I could do with less still.” 

“Was he complaining about anything new in particular?” 

Gladio waved the question off with a little shake of his head. So the princeʼs usual brand of petulance, then. He flicked the same hand towards Ignis. “Well, how are things with ya? Hey, the Valentine’s Charity Ball’s soon. You going?” 

“I’m still thinking about it,” Ignis admitted, glancing briefly to the locker room in case Noctis would be coming out any time soon. Knowing the prince, though, it would be some time still before he would be making a reappearance which was why this was the perfect opportunity for him to be indulging himself with Gladioʼs presence. So far so good. 

So far all still according to his plan. “Perhaps if I am free that night, I will go,” he went on, looking at his friend again. Now those thick arms were wrapped around his equally thick chest. Ignis had to make the conscious effort to _breathe_ and to keep his attention on those caramel eyes looking back at him. “You should go, though. It’s your final year in high school, is it not?” 

“Not really sure I still get to call this high school,” Gladio chuckled. 

“Well, you _are_ still taking up your high school classes,” Ignis offered with a little smile and a smaller peak of his brow, as though he hadn’t just melted slightly from the chesty sound Gladio produced. “Or what’s left of it. It is just that your duties compelled you to extend your senior year to another one, and most of your batch has since graduated. But you will be graduating this year finally.” 

“Yep.” Gladio rolled his broad shoulders backwards. Could he be any more attractive? Ignis could already feel his heart flagging. He didn’t used to be like this, had even seen the man in nothing but his swimming trunks and felt nothing for it but…well, times were different now. “In a couple of months, I’ll finally be a full-time member of the Crownsguard.” 

“Indeed,” Ignis fiddled with his glasses again, for the lack of better things to do. “Finally.” Finally…and then what? The conversation had come to a natural end, as things were wont to go, and unless he came up with something quick, he shouldn’t expect Gladio to linger with him in awkward silence. That would be the opposite of what he wanted to happen, of course—he didn’t take so long perfecting his plan to the last minute just for a little hi-bye chit-chat. No, he wanted to spend more time in Gladioʼs coveted company, to talk about more things with him. Be it school, valentine’s, their duties, Noct… 

“Well,” Ignis tried to swallow his stammering, squaring up his shoulders as his mind raced to put words through his mouth. Anything, just anything! “I uhh…” _Anything, Ignis, anything!_ “Well, thank you. For erm…taking care of Noct.”

—

“ _Thank you for taking care of Noct?!_ ” The very prince whom Gladio received thanks for taking care of burst out in wild, impudent laughter. Ignis felt his face burning hotter than the _Star of Lucis’_ heater as his grip tightened around the steering wheel. “All the time in the world and that’s all you tell your crush?! Thanks for looking after Noct?!”

“I am well-aware of the stupid remark I made, you don’t have to keep reminding me of how terrible it is,” Ignis huffed, keeping his eye on the busy road despite it. 

“Dude,” Noctis pulled himself to the space between both front seats to bare his brazen delight on his retainer, as if he wasnʼt already upset by his own blunder. “You should know—” 

“I donʼt want to know.” Ignis signaled right. 

“No, no, I’m gonna tell you, and you’re gonna know,” the insufferable prince insisted. And who was he not to take it? It wasn’t like Ignis had anywhere he could go, anyway. “I totally stayed in the locker room longer than I usually take because I wanted you to spend more time with Gladio.” 

“Indeed,” Ignis grimaced. 

“If I only knew that was what you were gonna say, I should have come out much sooner to save you the trouble.” Noctis was laughing again as he fell back to the backseat, no doubt sprawling out as if he were in his living room. “What happened to all that pep talk I gave you last night?” 

“About just being myself when I am talking to my crush?” Ignis glanced at his rear view mirror, as if it would show him an inch of Noctis. “And what gave you the idea that I was pretending otherwise?” 

“Because the Ignis I know would know exactly what to say in any situation.” Noctis was back beside him, still smiling if Ignis saw right by the corner of his eye. “And besides, he’s just Gladio! Sure he’s your crush but you know, he’s just Gladio!” 

“Indeed,” Ignis sighed, merging carefully to a major road as he turned right. “He just so happens to be the first man I have ever fallen in love with. Though I don’t imagine you would know the feeling from your lack of courtship with Lady Lunafreya.” A matter kept private among a select few. Everyone thought it was romantic, of course, but Ignis was there when Noctis asked his best girl friend to be his official girlfriend to silence some council members whose business it was to nag. Lady Lunafreya accepted, and was even kind enough to provide a lovesick letter which Ignis could leak to the press by way of a cover. Theirs was a convenient love story. His and Gladioʼs… 

Well…if it were a love story, Ignis supposed it _could_ be a convenient one, too. They had been at the right place at the right time, then. Ignis was just coming up from the stairwell on his way to his next class when Gladio saw him and hurried over to return a necktie he had borrowed for a family portrait. A cheering stampede appeared from the opposite hallway, announcing the triumph of Royal Insomnia Academy’s baseball league against Somnus University’s. Had Ignis taken a step back to avoid them, he might have fallen down a terrible and embarrassing accident. 

But Gladio grabbed him and pulled him to the nearest wall, slammed both hands over each of his shoulders, and became the human gate that protected Ignis from the flood of the victory crowd. He’d never been so near the man until then. 

The wild folks had stomped all over his school bag in their joy, and yet Gladio had only barked for them to watch where they were going before he turned back to the wide-eyed Ignis. And then he asked him, in a quiet voice steeped with concern and gentleness, “You okay, Ignis?” 

The moment he heard that voice, and stared back into those eyes looking closely into his, which twinkled like firelight behind stained bronze windows, Ignis knew he had fallen hopelessly in love.

—

“ _Seriously?!_ ” the other line screeched at his ear. If he and Noctis hadn’t been friends for maybe…two or three years now, Noctis doubted he would still be among the hearing. But things like this, you just live with for the sake of friendship—especially if it was your best friend agreeing wholeheartedly with you. “ _Ignis said that?!_ ”

“I’m not shitting you, Prompto,” Noctis cackled to the mic leading down from his ear to his grin. 

“ _And what did you tell him—ah! Three o’clock, three o’clock!_ ” 

“Thatʼs two o’clock,” Noctis corrected, the fingers wrapped around his controller moving independently when he turned his avatar on his wide-screen rightwards to deal with the incoming horde of orcs charging through the dense forest. The moving epic music was easily overpowered by the blast he had delivered against the new enemies. “Donʼt let Gladio hear that come from you.” 

“ _Not like Gladioʼs here, anyway,_ ” Prompto snorted. “ _Right, all done!_ ” He had been working somewhere off-screen to clear a path in the dungeon, a blue dot in the corner minimap they shared. 

“Nice, Prompto!” Noctis beamed, rushing to his friend’s side. “Anyway, I didnʼt get to say anything.” 

“ _Why not?!_ ” 

“Dude, remember when I messaged you for this coop?” That bubble of laughter was percolating up Noctis’ smile again. “I was chilling in the locker room. I wanted to give Ignis more time to talk to Gladio so I had no idea what was going on! When I finally went back in, he just grabbed my bag and stalked out of the training hall. I didnʼt get to ask him what happened until we were in the car. Ignis was pissed, though.” He started laughing again. 

“ _Ig-nis, you shouldnʼt have had to be pissed if you just told him you liked him,_ ” Prompto sang even as he sighed out. “ _I thought he was Ignis?_ ” 

“I know, right?” Noctis cackled. “So much for being Ignis Scientia.” 

“ _Kinda makes me feel better knowing he’s not that perfect, though,_ ” Prompto shared. And for a minute there, as they entered a new location, a cave this time, it almost seemed like his best friend forgot that talking was his favorite hobby, second only to photography. 

They had barely swept up the army of skeletons that greeted them when Prompto started humming. A sound that later resolved itself to a whisper that went, “ _…future, future, all the ti-ime…_ ” 

Noctis laughed briefly despite the manic way he was crushing his buttons as he defended himself against one of the tougher monsters. “You’re really obsessed with that song.” 

“ _Mhm! Can’t stop singing it._ ” So Prompto went on, a little louder this time. A personal DJ playing songs Noctis either didnʼt know or ask for was just one of the perks of their friendship.

—

_Ding, ding, ding!_

“ _Approaching Mors Station. Mors Station. The doors will open to the right. To transfer to Insomnia Broadcasting Tower, please exit via…_ ” 

Prompto didnʼt wait for the PA system to finish before he was stuffing his sketchpad and pencils into his backpack and hauling the whole sagging thing with him as he hurried out the train. It was a busy station, a large one sitting at the nexus of the shopping district with the permanent din of commuters and convenience store music practically painted on the walls. All of this, Prompto could easily imagine just by watching everything move about him despite the bubblegum synth music flowing out of his earbuds. 

He joined them soon after, matching their urgent pace as he produced his phone from the back of his pocket, his colorful charms dangling freely. He navigated over to the last message he received that told him which exit to take, stopped in his tracks and looked around with careful alarm until he spotted the signages that led him to a completely different direction. 

With a hiss and a curse under his breath, Prompto hurried back the way he came before anything could be said of his attention span and punctuality. To his defense, he didnʼt often pass this way, preferring a different shopping complex that was closer to the school. 

In fact, he wouldnʼt be there at all if the guy hadn’t invited him to some impromptu shopping in the first place. “Gladio!” 

Gladio was waiting for him by the foot of the monument for Fenrir—a loyal dog who waited for her master in that same train station for years despite his death in Keycatrich—just as he texted. He was dressed out of his school uniform and in his usual Crownsguard hoodie, his cap worn backwards, a pair of dark trainers and—

“Oooh, new kicks!” Prompto swooned as he finally arrived, gawping at the clean pair of running shoes that Gladio sported. Dark purple with deep blue accents and neon green laces, Prompto could practically smell the department store off them just by looking at them. Limited edition, if he remembered right from the ads. He cast his beam at his older friend. 

Gladio smiled back and tapped his right ear. You either listened to music or listened to him. What was it Noct said? You could bring the guy out of the training hall but you couldn’t bring the training hall out of him…or something to that effect. It bothered Noct but not so much Prompto who never knew how it felt to have a big brother until Gladio took him under his wing. 

“Ah!” So he was only too happy to obey. Prompto hurriedly switched off his Somnify, then pulled off his earphones so that he wore them like a necklace, the backs of both pieces connecting to each other by way of a magnet. “When’d you get that?” His phone, he returned to the confines of his back pocket as he and Gladio finally marched off together. 

“Just last week,” Gladio answered, moving one step ahead to lead the way to wherever they were going. Prompto figured he should have probably asked this before he readily said yes to Gladioʼs text during his lunch break but whatever. “Thought you might get a kick out of it.” He kicked sideways to flaunt his new purchase. 

“I’d get a kick out of it if you gave it to me!” Prompto kicked back, both of them missing each other by a mile. “Unless we’re going to the mall and you’re about to get me a pair.” 

“Ha! You wish,” Gladio cackled, reaching back easily to capture him by the crook of his elbow and bury his fist on his blonde head. Prompto wailed; just because school was done for the day didnʼt mean he didn’t need his perfect hair! What if there was a cute— “Nah, we ain’t hitting the mall today.” He released him. “Need to find someone a present but I don’t know what they’d like. So you’re gonna help me.” 

“ _Me?_ ” Did Gladio just randomly draw his name out of a hat? Not that the implicit trust didn’t flatter Prompto but he knew for a fact that he wasn’t the first choice either. “Couldn’t get Ignis or Noct to go with you?” Gods know Ignis could use some private time with—

“Uh…they’re busy,” Gladio said almost dismissively. Prompto frowned at his profile, hands stopping mid-motion as they were rescuing his do. “Besides, it’s just gonna be a quick run to the bookstore.” The bookstore?! “Just around here.” He gestured down the busy sidewalk, flanked by a row of sophisticated store entrances to their right, the empty road to their left. “We’ll be there in a minute.” 

“Is there anything on my face that tells you I read books without pictures on them?” Because it was true—about the only ones Prompto had ever enjoyed were comics, art books, visual companions and books on photography. 

Given, that might be the case—Gladio may be looking for some recommendations on graphic novels, being a guy who preferred the more text heavy variety. So Prompto shut up about it and turned his attention to the lazy city around them, everyone minding their own business, blending into the general hue of Insomnia. 

At the end of the sidewalk was an underpass and a narrower street breaking off to the right. He followed Gladio into it, past colorful and bright convenience stores and snack shops and vague openings leading to obscure stores situated one floor after another. 

It was into one of these that Gladio brought him, the kind of shop that was cramped, smelled of lemon aerosol and had way too much stuff on display for Promptoʼs comfort. Most of them were books—old stuff, gauging by the color and the wrinkles and tears along their spines (though the shop’s sepia lighting made it difficult for him to be sure). The rest of the wares were souvenirs from the past like clocks, dinnerware, CDs, pictures… 

Prompto was on them faster than he could admire the quaint little shop’s ambiance while Gladio shared a fond greeting with the peppery-haired keeper behind their tiny counter. Time seemed to breeze by while they both attended to their own interests, Gladio passing Prompto a tiny wire basket before he disappeared amongst one of those towering shelves. 

By the time Gladio had made a full circuit and returned to him, Prompto had filled his basket with about a dozen photographs, two CDs and a keychain of some obscure chocobo show for kids (because why not?). Gladio’s came with three thin poetry books, some espresso cups, fountain pens and a vintage die-cut car sticker. 

Somehow, Prompto thought all that stuff reminded him of someone but he also thought he might just be biased. For Gladioʼs benefit (and it really _was_ an interesting collection, anyway), he let out a melodic, “Oooh…” as he sorted through them. 

“Think anything here looks remotely cool?” 

Prompto hummed out a steady note while he brushed his finger along his chin. “I mean if they like all those things, you can’t go wrong, right? Why don’t you just buy them one of each? Give them the best of all worlds?” An Amicitia ought to be able to afford that much. 

“Ya think?” Gladio replied, but there was every part of him that still looked and sounded, _felt_ uncertain. He regarded his knick-knacks dubiously, lifting his cap a little to scratch at the back of his head. “Well…okay it’s for his birthday.” 

“Ohhh, him!” Prompto thought he recalled another man’s birthday being close… 

“Yeah,” Gladio nodded, “so, I wanna give ‘im a really interesting gift but also, I was hoping I could make it a bit more special by asking ‘im out to the Valentineʼs ball with it, y’know?” Prompto swore he felt his own eyes _sparkle_. “Like…like hitting two daggerquills with the same lightning.” 

“O- _ho_ ,” Prompto snapped his fingers and waved them at Gladioʼs nose. “So you like him!” Not a first—tall, attractive, popular and rich, Amicitia never ran out of willing partners and had dated a little here and there. None of them lasted too long, though. 

Much less turned him into a boy struggling with his first crush. “Uh…yeah,” Gladio nodded, hazarding a squashed-looking smile as he scratched at the back of his head again. Maybe it was the lighting or the toasty air in the room but his cheeks looked a little pinker, Prompto thought. “Yeah, I…kinda really like him, I…yeah…yeah.” 

Prompto laughed, bouncing backwards as he clapped his hands. “Dude, you should’ve told me in the first place!” He probably shouldn’t be too amused by this but it wasn’t all the time he got to feel like he knew more than his big brother-figure-slash-weekend gym instructor did. He carried his weight with one leg and crossed his arms to get comfortable. Gladio looked like he really needed help so that was what he was gonna do. “Well, what else can you tell me about him?” 

“He’s umm…” Gladio cleared his throat, tipping one of the empty espresso cups in his basket to look inside it. After a pause, he finally revealed: “He’s Ignis.” _Ignis._

For a second there, Prompto thought he must be hearing things. Maybe because he was thinking that Ignis had a crush on Gladio so that must be why he thought he heard Gladio say his name. But then he looked at the stuff in his basket—poetry books (Did Ignis like poetry? Though maybe it looked good on him), fountain pens (Ignis carried that sylleblossom notebook everywhere), car sticker (well, _duh_ ), _espresso cups_ —and then Ignis’ birthday was coming up, just a week away from the school Valentineʼs ball, in fact… 

Prompto stared at Gladio with wide eyes. “Ignis Scientia?” Gladio nodded. _He actually nod—_ “Seriously? You have a crush on Ignis Scientia?” Gladio nodded again. _Now_ he was sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. 

“ _Dude!_ ” His voice might have reverberated throughout that hidden shop as he slapped Gladio by the meat of his arm. The effect as a whole caused Gladio to flinch, as if he wasnʼt protected by his hoodie and the layers of muscles he must have cultivated under his skin. “Are you serious?!” Gladio hushed him with a finger on his lips, shifting eyes redirecting Promptoʼs attention to the person behind the counter who regarded him with a glare. Oops. 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s him!” Gladio growled as quietly as he could, looking around uneasily just in case someone like Ignis would turn out to be eavesdropping on them. “I ainʼt gonna explain myself—” 

“Not to me, at least,” Prompto giggled, hooking his thumbs inside his pants’ pockets. What a hoot. Ignis was having the hardest time facing up to his crush when all this time, the feeling was mutual! They both just needed a _little_ push and then… “Okay, you wanna know what I think a great gift for Ignis would be?” 

“Huh?” 

“Get him a Valentineʼs card, tell him you like him, and ask him to be your Valentine. Trust me, it’s gonna work!” 

Gladio snorted, putting on an ugly frown to show the bemused Prompto what he thought of that idea. “You couldn’t tell a worse joke even if you’d tried.” 

“I’m serious!” Promptoʼs voice was in danger of regaining its volume as he tapped Gladioʼs elbow. “Look, I wouldnʼt be making this suggestion if I didn’t think it’d work, right?” he sang. 

Gladio rolled his eyes. “I donʼt wanna ask—” 

“Ignis likes you, too.” Well, he had to say it. 

Gladio glared at Prompto. 

An attack Prompto defended himself from by raising both hands to show his sincerity. “Honest! Ask Noct, if you want!” 

“Are you punks trying to prank me?” 

“Why would we do that!” Prompto returned his arms over his chest, feet tapping to a silent rhythm. “Well, if you don’t believe us, just ask Ignis.” 

Gladio groaned, shaking his head. “You really are trying to prank me.” And here he thought the guy would be elated to find out. 

Prompto took his turn to snort, rolling his eyes while he was at it. Unbelievable—here he was, trying to extend a helping hand to his friend but he was possibly too dense to take it. Didn’t help that his crush was too shy to take a step either. “Okay, then, how about a deal!” Let it not be said that a creative guy like Prompto didn’t have some ideas of his own. He directed his finger at Gladio, “If you ask him but he doesn’t say anything,” which he realized now was likely going to be the case _but_ — 

He jutted his thumb to himself. “Iʼll help you ask him out. I’ll even tell Noct to help!” A proposition that invited Gladioʼs high brow. “Cʼmon, what have you got to lose!” Nothing, of course. It was practically a done deal, they just needed to talk to each other! 

Gladio remained skeptical, though, frowning deeply at his haphazard gifts for his crush.

—

What did he have to lose? Well, the most important chunk of his heart, for starters, as well as half the reason why he woke up every morning. Toss in their friendship and partnership, his self-confidence, maybe even his reputation…

Simply put, Gladio had too much to lose and Prompto—and _no one_ —could see that. They didn’t know how difficult it was to be in the same space as Ignis and ignore him, even so much as to pretend to ignore him. And then they didn’t know how it felt that he _wished_ he could just ignore him because the moment he opened his mouth, there was nothing but boring, stupid stuff coming out of it. Hey, how was your day? Hey, nice weather, huh? Hey, are you going to the ball? Hey, I know right? Hey… 

Three years of having a stupid crush on Ignis and he still talks to him like he never made it out of Day 1. Sure Gladio hasn’t been the most devoted admirer throughout those years by seeing some people here and there but if he could be perfectly honest, he wasnʼt serious about any of them. Which was obvious, he never dated unless he was sure it wasn’t going to be serious but closer to the point, he dated around mostly to train himself as a suitor. 

Still no go. Still _hi how are yous_ , still _hey how was your days_. He could see it in Ignis’ steady gaze that he was neither impressed by his performance, nor was he turned off…which was both good and bad but mostly it was bad. Ignis didn’t deserve mediocrity, not when he excelled in everything life had to offer. No, he demanded perfection, superiority. Dancing chocobos, rainbows and trumpets and all that. Three years later and Gladio was nowhere near achieving that desired effect. And without these chocobos and rainbows and trumpets, he didn’t stand a fighting chance on winning Ignis’ affections. 

But what was he doing that late afternoon after classes? Marching down the hallway for the guy who was just then leaving his own classroom. “Ignis!” Because unfortunately for him, he was too stupid to ignore Ignis and just move on with his life. 

Ignis whirled to him just as he covered the rest of the distance in a jog. “Hello, Gladio,” he greeted him politely with a professional smile, meeting him halfway. “How was your day?” 

“Pretty good,” Gladio replied as he arrived, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “Got my history paper back.” Because of course he was only capable of talking about the most boring things in front of his crush. 

“The one about Queen Crepera and her legacy among the modern youth?” Then again, he wouldnʼt be talking about it if it wasn’t something that could remotely invite some reaction from the man. 

Because he was obviously desperate for it. “Yup,” Gladio confirmed, bouncing his head a little before he tossed his hand to Ignis who fixed his glasses. “Got some good marks for it, too, so thanks a lot for your help.” 

“Congratulations,” Ignis chuckled, smiling a little wider for it. “I see all that research did pay off.” 

“Thatʼs what you said, all right,” Gladio attempted to joke along, though he could already tell how flatly it fell even before it left his mouth. Back when he received the requirement, he had spoken to his crush about it, as one would if one was trying to come up with anything, literally _anything_ , that would impress him. He hadnʼt given it much thought but somehow, Ignis’ eyes came alive and he readily volunteered to assist Gladio after work and training. Turns out the guy was just a fan of Crepera Lucis Caelum and had consumed as much information as he could find of the enigmatic Ruler of Yore. That wasn’t strange, of course, just funny. Everyone who was familiar with the Lucii had their own favorites; they were like trading cards, in a way. 

Maybe he ought to get Ignis something about Her Majesty…? That _could_ impress him, right? 

Too obvious. Like giving Ignis glasses because he wore one. “Hey, your birthday’s coming up,” Gladio remarked at random as they started down the hall side-by-side, Ignis touching his glasses again. “What do you have in mind for it?” 

“For what?” Ignis looked at him with blinking eyes. Stupid, he should have made himself clearer. 

“I mean,” Gladio shrugged, “how do you wanna celebrate it? You got a wishlist or…?” Well, might as well get some ideas. 

Ignis laughed, at least, though that wasn’t Gladioʼs intention but whatever. “Well, that largely depends on the workload. I suppose I could ask for the weekend off if I were so brazen—” 

“Aw, Ignis.” The guy worked too hard. 

“—but I have no special plans as of the moment.” He turned to Gladio with a friendly look. “As for what I want for my birthday, I suppose I will be the happiest if I could just get Noct to eat one stick of carrot.” Ouch. Not the kind of idea he was hoping for. Maybe he ought to consider Queen Crepera again. 

“Could say it’s for your birthday, yeah?” Gladio attempted another joke. Ignis laughed but that was it. Try again. “But seriously, nothing for yourself? Not even say like…a book or some coffee thing or maybe like a nice pen or a car accessory?” 

“Are you fishing for ideas?” Ignis laughed again, amused. Damn, foiled. He cleared his throat, turning his smile onwards to where they were going. “I suppose they are good ones.” _Good_ —not _great_ or amazing or stupendous, just _good_. “Whatever it is you will give me, I assure you I will appreciate it.” 

“Appreciating it’s fine and all but it’d be nicer for ya if you _really_ liked it, yeah?” 

“Oh, what’s all the pressure for, Gladio?” Ignis asked him with a little brow action as he turned to face him. 

_Because I like you_ , he said. _You like me, too, yeah?_ At least that was what Prompto said. But also, Prompto sounded _really_ sure about himself, even though the words seemed like he was just pulling his leg. It was the _easiest_ thing to take his advice and say it now, though, he already had the words! 

But those bright green eyes, as bright as the man who wore them, looked at him, _watched_ him. Flattering and arresting him at the same time with the attention they granted. 

This could be the worst time for Gladio to be making a fool of himself but…there could be no better time for it, too! He had to try. What was the worst that could happen, Ignis laughing at him? 

Yes. Yes, that was the worst thing that could happen. 

“Gladio?” Ignis beckoned him. 

Gladio produced a sound—and nothing else.

—

“ _Hmmm…do you think Gladio would really ask Ignis, though?_ ”

“Why not?” Noctis asked, calm in the midst of all that firepower and bestial roars raging in his headphones. His screen flashed red, gold and silver where there wasn’t a massive golem trapped at the end of the cavern. “I mean, he’s Gladio, he’s the guy who takes off his shirt any time he wants to.” 

Prompto hummed again. “ _Be really nice if he did, though. Gods know Ignis could re-ally use the hint—ahh, AHH, AREA ATTACK, AREA ATT—_ ” 

“I know, _I know_ , stop yelling at me!!” Noctis might have actually broken one of his molars when he bit too hard. “Get behind, get behind!!” 

They fled to one of the pockets of the cave, just in time before a blast of wind swept past the area. When his gamepad stopped vibrating, Noctis charged back into the fray with Prompto closely behind him, screaming as he would. 

Almost enough to dampen the ringing of his phone just next to him on the couch. 

“Oh, Gladioʼs calling.” Noctis paused the game, then, reaching for the device. 

“ _Eh? What’s it he wants? Oh! Do you think he’s going to tell us about him and Ignis?!_ ” 

“I’m about to find out. I’m going off-air for a bit.” Noctis pulled his headphones to his neck before he carried the phone to his ear. “Gladio, what’s—” 

“ _NOCT!_ ” Gladio roared, sending Noctis off the couch to sit up rigidly, as if the man had just caught him slacking off in the middle of training. “ _Noct, there's something I gotta ask ya and I’m begging you to tell me the truth._ ” There was definitely an edge of desperation in his voice and it sent a cold shudder down his spine. “ _Ignis—does he really like me?_ ” Is he serious—

Noctis burst out laughing, falling back to his seat with his hand on his eyes. He couldnʼt believe what he was hearing. He pulled the wireless keyboard to his lap and typed out a quick message to Prompto in the chat box. _dude he's asking me if ignis really likes him_

“ _Hey, stop laughing!_ ” Gladio snapped. 

“Dude, didn’t Prompto already tell you?” No matter what Gladio might say, he was still going to laugh at him. It was just as they said—there really was a first time for everything. “He does! Why would Prompto lie to you? For some extra leg day?” 

“ _You swear this ainʼt just some prank?_ ” 

“Why would—” Noctis laughed again, fingers blazing through his keyboard. 

_he doesn't believe you_

_whyyyy am i not surpriiiiised_ , Prompto punctuated that with a face rolling its eyes. 

“Gladio,” Noctis sighed, wiping his eyes dry. “Whatever it is you think we’re up to, that’s not it. Look, Ignis really likes you. _Honestly._ ” He made sure he enunciated that after Gladio refused to respond. “So we figured, if he finds out you like him back, that’s gonna solve both your problems, right?” 

“ _Bet it will,_ ” Gladio groaned. “ _I tried to talk to him about it earlier but I just…_ ” He clicked his tongue. “ _Dammit, I don’t think it’ll work._ ” Noctis snorted, typing out his words for Promptoʼs benefit. “ _I see it in his eyes, his looks. He ain’t interested, okay?_ ” 

_love is blind,_ Prompto commented. Noctis snickered. 

“ _Hey, you laughin’ at me?_ ” 

“No,” Noctis spat out instantly. “Okay, whatever. What’s it gonna take for you to believe Prompto and I?” A part of him wondered if he should take offense that his Shield never believed a word he said, but then again this was the exact same problem that a smart guy like Ignis was struggling with. So Noctis would grant him the benefit of the doubt. 

Gladio made some noise at the other line. “ _Probably have to hear it straight from the chocobo’s mouth, right?_ ” he answered after another pause, finishing the thought with a groan. “ _But I don’t know what to say to him, I don’t know how it’s gonna come out! I don’t even know what he likes for his birthday even though we’ve been friends for years._ ” Oh, now there’s an idea. 

“Guess it’d be easier for you if you only knew, huh?” Noctis replied, typing along. “Want me to find out for you?” 

A deep pause came through the other end. “ _You will?_ ” And unless all of Promptoʼs explosive remarks had caused Noctis to finally go deaf, he swore he could detect a hint of hope blossoming in that question. Poor guy was really desperate. 

“Yeah,” Noctis promised him with all the confidence in the world, his finger landing heavily on the enter key. “I’ll fish it out of him, and then I’ll pass the answer to you.” 

Another long pause. “ _If he finds out—_ ” 

A threat he cut short; geez, what was he so worried about? “He won’t,” Noctis promised him as he shared the news to his best friend across the internet. “Leave it to me.” 

Prompto agreed to his plan with a thumb up.


	2. Chapter 2

“So…what do you want for your birthday?” 

Ignis laughed. First Gladio, now Noct. For some reason, it seemed to be everyone’s favorite question but the difference now was that he wasn’t killing himself with reminders not to act like a fool. What a turn-off it would be if his crush found out how giddy his attention made him. “Did Gladio put you up to this?” 

Noctis choked. “W, why would Gladio put me up to this?” Indeed, why? When Ignis had asked him what all the pressure was about, hoping against hope that it might lead to something…deeper so to speak, the man simply told him he was ‘just curious’ and then invited him to coffee on their way to the Citadel. If they were at that point in their relationship that encouraged a more intimate conversation, it would have already happened. 

At least that was what he thought. “Cʼmon,” Noctis persisted. “Help a guy out here.” 

“Would you eat your vegetables for me on my birthday?” Ignis challenged him. 

“I’m being serious here,” Noctis tutted. 

“And I am not?” Ignis pressed on with a little help from his eyebrows. 

“No,” Noctis insisted, and his word would be final if he had anything to say about it. He scowled and turned his attention back to the evening sea around them, the bottom of it dotted with all sorts of lights to paint Insomnia’s map. A chilly wind pulled at them on its way to the open door, leading into Noctis’ bright apartment. 

Ignis pulled from the can of flavored water he brought out with him to the balcony. Like Noctis, he was dressed down for the day; he’d left his waistcoat in the kitchen and come out there in his shirt with the first button undone and his cuffs rolled up to his elbows. His slippers, he traded for his socks. 

“Nothing comes to mind,” he explained after a few moments of pondering his wants to himself. It was obvious that he wanted Gladio but that was never going to happen. He thought he could use a couple of new things for the kitchen and the office but none of them were pressing enough to inconvenience the prince to get him. And these days, he spent so little time at school to actually need much more in it… 

Ignis hurt himself when he snorted at some joke that only made sense to him. Noctis whipped at him with his brow up. “Well. I just remembered that there is one that I’d like but it is so impossible to find, it has become nothing but a pipe dream for myself.” 

“Huh?” Noctis frowned, curious about his preamble. “We’re not talking about Gladio, are we?” 

“Oh, I assure you,” Ignis chuckled, “it is more unrealistic than his affections.” He exhaled quietly, eyes watching the careful progression of cars from a great distance beneath them. “It’s called _The Life and Lies of the Rogue Queen_ by Syra Noster.” 

“You mean Queen Crepera?” 

Ignis confirmed his knowledge with a nod. “Itʼs a rare book. Only 246 copies were published during its time before the Crown ordered a cease-and-desist. It’s quite the controversial material about one of the most loved rulers, see?” 

“So it probably won’t be in the Citadel library, huh?” Noctis ventured. 

“It isn’t,” Ignis told him, glancing at him. “And I doubt that they will supply it even when I have said that I require it to further my education as your advisor. But I’ve had that book on my waitlist for some 10 years now.” 

“Wow,” Noctis remarked with shallow interest, even though she was his ancestor. Well, Ignis didn’t expect any different. “You sure it exists?” He appreciated that joke, at least. 

With a wry smile, he pushed his shoulders up. “Perhaps it may as well not. It may as well be one of those…impossibly rare occurrences that people will take as a sign from the cosmos. Double rainbows on a rainy day, a striped cat on their porch, red sylleblossom…” 

“If someone gives me this book, then they’re the one.” 

Ignis nodded at Noctis’ conclusion, which hilariously coincided with the ringing of his doorbell. “Precisely,” he replied, looking back to the empty apartment. “Is that Prompto?” Were they expecting Prompto? 

“Huh? Could be.” Noctis padded back to his living room, shuddering at the change of temperature though he didn’t stall his progress. In the meantime, Ignis took the time to set the living room to rights. He put on his slippers, gathered the empty cake plates and cups of tea and carried them to the kitchen—

“U, umm…” 

Ignis stood alert as he saw Noctis shuffling into view, his attention still directed to the door he had just stepped away from. “Noct, who is it?” 

Those uncertain gray-blue eyes came up to meet Ignis. “Well, itʼs Gladio,” he revealed after a suspenseful heartbeat. In Ignis’ shock, he nearly dropped the dishes. “Should…I let him in or—” Well, there didn’t seem to be any problem with that but… 

“I…” Ignis shifted uneasily where he stood as he inspected himself. The first thing he noticed were the wrinkles on his slacks after a long day in the office. His sleeves would surely look ridiculous if he stretched them out now and he doubted his waistcoat could do much for his unkempt appearance. When he brought out his phone after depositing the dessert stuff into the sink, he loaded the camera and noted how flat his hair looked. Maybe if he had time to fix himself up but… 

But the bell rang again, and gods, his crush can’t see him so unkempt! 

Ignis whipped wide eyes to Noctis who watched him behind round ones. “You have to hide me. I cannot be seen like this!” 

“Uhh…” Now Noctis was starting to panic himself as Ignis grabbed his waistcoat and hurried to his reaching hand, even as he searched his apartment for— “Here! Get in here.” He captured Ignis’ wrist and pulled him towards his—

“The laundry room?” Ignis sputtered despite already stepping through the square space which had enough room only for one tall man like him. He shouldnʼt be complaining, of course, especially as he had made sure he kept it clean and had just recently fixed the light but he was certainly hoping for somewhere more comfortable. How long was Gladio going to visit, anyway?! 

“Look, I dunno what Gladioʼs doing here but I don’t think he came here to wash his clothes, you know?” Noctis explained while he was pushing the door shut between the two of them. “Just stay here until I come get you, okay? And don’t do any chores!” The laundry basket at Ignis’ feet was nearly heaping with dark fabric. 

Before Ignis could issue another word, Noctis had already closed the door. The next thing he did, then, was to set his phone to vibrate, leave it on the washing machine where he would be able to hear it and press his ear to the door. Gladioʼs large voice caused him to jump a little in his slippers. The man really was there! 

“I was in the bedroom, okay?” Noctis lied to his Shield when the other demanded to know why he took too long to answer. “Canʼt take a nap in my own house?” 

“Well…yeah, sorry about that,” Gladio grumbled. 

Ignis pressed his cheek flusher onto the plastic surface as he strained to hear more of the conversation. 

“I’m just…well, have you spoken to him yet?” 

“You mean…your crush?” Ignis’ heart skipped a beat. His crush. 

“Well, yeah…you and Prompto promised to help me, right?” Noctis and Prompto promised to help Gladio with _his crush_.

_Oh, Astrals, no,_ Ignis began to despair, a hand coming to his mouth. _Gladio has someone else he likes!_

—

Sitting on the plush couch beside the prince in his fancy living room, it was obvious to Gladio now that there had been no reason for him to be rushing in like a blind idiot just because the days were ticking and he felt like he was running out of time. Noctis sighing and scratching his head just drove that message deeper.

“C’mon, these things take time, okay?” Noctis said, slumping back to get comfortable, a skinny arm draped over the top of his couch. “For what it’s worth, I did get something from him.” 

Gladio sat up with his shoulders back, in full attention and bated breath, both fists crushing his cap between them. Full of rising hope. 

“But,” Noctis shrugged, “it’s…kinda hard to get.” 

“How hard?” Gladio was always up for a challenge, especially if it was for Ignis. 

“Like,” Noctis considered it, eyes rolling up to the ceiling, “getting me to eat vegetables kinda hard.” Except that. Gladio was only human. 

He let out a deep groan as he sank like a pudding into the couch, head lolling defeatedly to the side. Oh, this was hopeless. “Maybe I should just give up,” he groaned. “Maybe I _should_ just get him some stupid Valentineʼs card and ask him to be my Valentine.” 

Noctis shrugged. “Could work.” Well, of course he would say that. Prompto said the same. They probably thought a card would be enough to do it for him since apparently, the guy liked him back. _Supposedly._

Another ugly noise forced itself through his nose as Gladio rubbed his hands onto his face. “So is that the best I can do?” he moaned out loud, a desperate question that was directed to everyone in the room. “Is that all I’m good for?” What a clown he was, thinking he could make something out of this stupid crush. He should have learned from all those three years he had been trying and flopping. 

“Dude, Gladio, seriously,” Noctis shifted in his couch to inch a little closer to his deflated Shield. “Just get him whatever, put your heart in it, and it’s gonna work out. Trust me on this.” Gladio peeked at him through parted fingers. “Itʼs gonna be great.” Boy, would he like to live in that dreamworld of his. 

“Ya think?” Gladioʼs hands plopped heavily onto his lap. “You think it’s gonna be that easy?” He gestured to an imaginary Ignis in front of him. “ _He’s_ gonna be that easy?” Ignis, easy. Ha! Never heard that before. For once, it might be easier to force Noctis to ingest some broccoli, after all. 

“Well, yeah…” Noctis shrugged again. “I mean, I think so. You know that even with all the stuff he wears to work, he’s just a simple guy, right?” 

“Simple, yeah,” Gladio snorted, rolling his eyes with his head. “Simply amazing, more like.” 

“Ugh, you’re really gonna make me listen to this?” 

“Noct, get this,” Gladio bounced on his seat, shifting to a more proper posture as befitting of someone who was talking about Ignis Scientia. “Whenever I think of him, he just makes me feel…” He started to gesticulate, though he couldn’t come up with anything that so much as equalled his motions. 

So Noctis popped a brow, looking professionally bored of his visitor’s feelings. “What?” Good question. What _did_ he feel whenever those green eyes saw him? Made him feel like he was the only person worth looking at in the entire cosmos? As if the stars shone and the birds sang only for him. What was it he felt whenever Ignis talked to him, laughed with him, spent time with him? As if Gladio talked about the most interesting stuff… 

Gladio shrugged ultimately, hands falling again. “Fireworks, y’know?” he said, settling into the little thrillsome dance his heart did just thinking about his crush. “Just fireworks in the air, man. Song and dance…” Breathtaking stuff, wonderful stuff, and all it took was one look from Ignis. “Thatʼs…that’s how he makes me feel.” 

“We still talking about the same guy here?” Figures some ingrate like Noctis wouldn’t get that. 

Gladio grabbed his cap from where it fell to the floor and pitched it at the prince. Can’t give Ignis what he really wanted, can’t get any better suggestions than a card. Sure it was the thought that counted but damn, not for Ignis. Not for a guy who deserved the cosmos. 

Gods but it looks like he was on his own again from now on.

—

It seemed like a great forever had passed before the door clicked open and Noctis reappeared from the other side. Ignis had since settled against the washing machine, deep in thought, filling the empty space of the laundry room with Gladioʼs voice until the four walls were echoing his words back to him. He was going to ask this lucky stranger to be his Valentine, and unless he had his way in it, Noct and Prompto would help their friend make his wish a reality. Ignis couldnʼt blame them. Maybe he ought to have a bit more pride in himself as a potential suitor but he wouldn’t sabotage Gladio just for that either. No, he would fight fair. He would show Gladio what he was capable of, that he could make him feel all those stuff he felt from his mystery crush, too.

“Noct,” he beckoned to his oldest friend just as the prince stepped through the door, “I need your and Promptoʼs help.”

—

**prompto:** driving with mom to the grocery brb  
 **noct:** hey man sorry  
 **noct:** told gladio to cancel friday for The Thing so i gotta extend training one hour everyday  
 **noct:** so did you get to talk to the captain about it?  
 **prompto:** hey  
 **prompto:** yup and she was totally game lol  
 **prompto:** she promised me the squad was gonna be game too so maybe they'll start practicing?  
 **noct:** nice i hope that's true  
 **prompto:** btw remember that bbq sauce ignis used on the trout fillet like last week? do you know it?  
 **noct:** _Sent a picture_  
 **prompto:** thank you!!!!!  
 **noct:** don't sweat it  
 **prompto:** hey speaking of ignis, don't you think we should tell him?  
 **noct:** about the plan?  
 **prompto:** about gladio  
 **noct:** that he likes him?  
 **prompto:** yeah  
 **noct:** think he'll believe us?  
 **prompto:** yeha you're right  
 **noct:** gladio didn't  
 **prompto:** let's just w  
 **prompto:** wait for them to face each other  
 **prompto:** OOH NOCT!!!!!  
 **noct:** mte  
 **noct:** what  
 **prompto:** _Sent a picture_  
 **noct:** GET 10  
 **prompto:** SO MANY FLAVORS  
 **noct:** GRT 10  
 **noct:** GDT  
 **prompto:** ROGERRR  
 **noct:** GET  
 **noct:** YES  
 **prompto:** looks like i'm dropping by later!!!!! lol  
 **noct:** i'll tell ignis  
 **noct:** brb training

—

“Okay, so,” unless Ignis’ infatuation with Gladio had dealt quite a number not only on his wits whenever the man was in the same breathing space as him, but also on his recent memory, he thought this was probably the first time Prompto was ever taking the lead on something, “this is how it’s gonna go tomorrow. After classes, I’m gonna tell Gladio to come with me to the soccer field—” _The soccer field._

“Oh gods.” It was so bad that Ignis had to peel his glasses and leave it next to his cup of coffee just so he could rub his hands over his face. And the worst part was that _he agreed to this_. Which was the reason why he would still be sitting in Noctis’ dining table late that evening when he should be driving home by now, and getting ready for an early morning the next day. 

“—‘cause I wanna watch the cheering squad practice,” Prompto said. “And then this song is gonna blast through the PA system,” Ignis’ attention fell on his younger friend’s phone as he tapped the play button on his screen, an echoey low-beat synth tune coming through its speakers upon command, “and then the cheering squad is gonna come in and start dancing.” 

“Right.” Ignis nodded. The plan was simple enough to follow through at this point. He’d also seen the dance choreography when Prompto recorded it earlier and it seemed…acceptable. To the untrained eye, at least. Upbeat, fluid, perfectly synchronized. 

“After that, you just have to wait for the chorus to come on—” 

“From behind the curtain,” Ignis interjected, as if to prove that he could keep up though the gods knew he needed all the help he could get. This was the first time he was going to attempt something like this in his entire short life and he was pretty sure everything was going to fall apart if he didnʼt pay closer attention to this comedy. Or was it a tragedy? 

Prompto bounced in his seat. “Mhm! And—” 

“And how do I find out what the chorus is, by the way?” Ignis had never heard the song before. Noctis might have choked a little in the can of chips he was guzzling down because of course he would. As if he listened to as much music as Prompto did when he was never a fan of the radio, since silence made sleeping in the car easier. 

Prompto let out a long note as they watched the slider move. At the 50-second mark (Ignis decided it would be better for him to just count), he jumped a little and said, “This one, this is it!” and waved his finger to the screen. 

“Just wait for the _future, future_ line and you’re good,” Noctis laughed, thumping the empty can back onto his table. _Future, future?_ What kind of a song was this? Should Ignis have checked, after all, what Prompto meant by, ‘dreamy, bubbly, you’re gonna love it’ before he signed it off with, ‘very well, I think that will do’? He couldnʼt even say if he _did_ love it as Prompto had promised. Then again, what was the use of changing directions now when the performance was going to happen _tomorrow?_

Regrets, were, as they say, reserved until the end. Ignis ripped a piece of tissue from the plastic dispenser in the middle and shoved it at Noctis. The prince glared at him as he snatched it from him but Ignis only retorted with a raised brow. Noctis wiped the crumbs off his mouth obediently. 

“So when this line comes on,” Prompto went on, bouncing a little again, “Ignis is gonna step out of the curtain and walk straight to Gladio. And you guys talk annnd…” He fell back to his seat. “Thatʼs it! Everything else is up to you.” Everything else… 

“Indeed.” Ignis reached for the glasses over his eyes until he remembered that he’d put it down. He scrabbled for it and restored it to his face, though that did nothing for his flagging confidence in this tomfoolery he insinuated. “Everything else.” The most important parts, for one. After all the bells and whistles, the smoke and mirrors, the ensemble—

He looked up to Prompto again in some alarm. Gods, but everything was slipping out of his fingers! This was wrong, this had never happened to him before. “Will I need to be dressing up a certain way? Perhaps…to match the dancers?” Whatever happened tomorrow, nothing would change the fact that he was the one who asked for this. So it was up to him to take responsibility for it. 

“Uh…” Prompto redirected the question to Noctis, who shrugged. “You…” 

“You wanna wear a letter shirt?” Noctis offered. 

Ignis glared at him in confusion. “A letter shirt?” Was that a shirt with… 

“A shirt with a letter,” Noctis answered, seriously and plainly. He gestured to Prompto. “Prompto thought it might help Gladio if we spelled it out for him that you—” 

“Stop right there.” Ignis held up a hand, shoulders suddenly rigid. “ _Spell?_ That is…spell it out in alphabets?” 

“Yup!” Prompto chirruped, pulling himself back to the table. “The cheering squad always keeps these shirts stocked—” 

“Gods above.” Ignis pushed his glasses up to rub his eyes again. “This is a disaster waiting to happen.” 

“Ignis?” 

He frowned at Promptoʼs clueless expression. “Would you seriously tell me that you forgot how they misspelled the very name of our most respected school in front of national television?” That had been the baseball championship between them and Somnus University. During the half-time break, the cheering squads from both competitors had come out to provide some energetic entertainment. Their very own had roused the crowd with their formations but had lost track of their own. The _Royal Insomnia Academy_ , then, became the _Royal Insonmia Academy_. Ignis had never quite recovered from the secondhand embarrassment since. 

And it looked like he was going to be in for another. “Gods have mercy,” he groaned into his hands.

—

When his phone gave another muffled buzz, Gladio couldnʼt bite back the last sigh anymore as he pulled it out of his hoodie’s pocket and opened the message. That it came from his sister instead of…someone else he had been expecting didn’t exactly make matters much better.

 _Still out there, Gladdy?_ she asked, punctuating it with a frowning face. 

_Yeah,_ he replied, putting on a little smile despite himself. _Don't worry. I contacted him and he said he's almost here. I'll be home soon iris._

_Okay. Dad's been nagging._ It had been ages since Gladio was ever imposed a curfew but sometimes, his father still liked to indulge himself with a little parental concern. Especially when his son was out there, in the middle of the night, waiting for a stranger to come meet him in some obscure corner of the shopping district. Truth be told, Gladio was getting a bit nervous himself, but for different reasons. He needed to meet this guy tonight. He was out of options and out of time to come up with more. 

His phone buzzed again. _Are you still out there? I still need to buy some milk for the kids so I need to close NOW._ That would be from the person whose texts he was trying to ignore, the same one who owned the secondhand bookstore upstairs, who he’d asked to hold onto a particular book until he could get him the money. It was nearly 30 minutes past closing time, after all. Gladio owed it to him for staying open just for him. 

Heʼd been about to text him the same reply he’d been sending over the past hour ( _Sorry could you just wait a little longer?_ ) when someone had called his attention, a man maybe a few years his senior jogging towards him, dressed in his own hoodie and trainers. 

Gladio almost felt woozy with relief when they greeted each other with a bow. “You the buyer?” He picked up the colorful paper bag next to his feet to hand it to the guy counting the notes in his billfold. 

“Yeah, sorry I was late,” the buyer apologized, giving him the money in exchange for the bag. “You sure about selling me this?” He peeked inside as if to confirm the item Gladio handed off to him. “This is limited edition stuff.” 

“Yeah, well,” Gladio waved the money vaguely to the direction of the bookstore. “I uh…need the money for something more important to me.”

—

_This is going to be the end of me._

Of course it was entirely Ignis’ lack not to expect the amount of _strangers_ who would be witnessing Ignis Scientia make a fool out of himself. It wasn’t just the sparse crowd in the bleachers that faced them, it was also those practicing, warming up, exercising, going for a run. If he should have to estimate the amount of people who were present, he would probably push the number up to at _least_ a hundred. Then again, he _should_ be glad for them—what was the sense of a production number if there wasn’t an audience to entertain? 

“Oh, this is foolish,” Ignis winced as he whirled back behind the shimmering red curtain being installed onto its frame by the cheering squad. He dropped onto one of the crates that anchored it to the ground, just next to a fancy bouquet of red roses donated to the cause by the prince who stepped up and started to pull at the lapel of his pink blazer. Everything about him was pink that afternoon, actually—his jacket, his tie, his slacks, his socks, his cheeks… “I shouldnʼt have allowed this— _you_ shouldn’t have allowed this!” Let it not be said, after all, that Noctis had no hand in this accident waiting to happen. “You should have stopped me while you had the chance!” 

“Me? Stop you?” Noctis cackled, standing back to inspect his work. “Cʼmon, aren’t you the guy who gets mad at me if I get in the way of your plans?” Ignis rolled his eyes. He should have known that Noctis wasn’t above using their friendship against him. “Besides, you look great!” He stepped back in. 

Ignis glared at him. “Iʼm pink!” he growled. 

“Yeah.” Noctis grinned impudently as he straightened out his striped necktie. “The better for Gladio to see you with, right?”

—

“And here we are!” Prompto whistled. “And just in time before the performance…hey, what happened to your new kicks?”

“Ahh, just,” Gladio shuffled uneasily on his feet as he glanced at his favorite pair of athletic shoes, gray enough to require a tender wash soon. “Didnʼt feel like wearing it today.” 

Up in the bleachers, he watched an excitable Prompto begin post-haste to set up his tripod and his camera. He didn’t have any classes for himself that day but Prompto had asked him for a ‘huge favor’ while he was on duty which he promised he would repay by setting him up with Ignis. That would be why he had hastily stepped out of his Crownsguard uniform and into his favorite hoodie and trainers and cap to better blend in with the student look. 

“Uh…is there a match today?” Gladio sputtered cluelessly, observing the activity that dotted the field. Smack dab in the middle was a small cluster of their cheerleading squad talking and practicing amongst themselves. Everything bled red—from the glittery curtain split in the middle, the short skirts and the letters printed over the front. One of them wore a heart, though. 

“Nope,” Prompto revealed, bent closely to his camera’s viewfinder while he manually adjusted the height of the tripod and the chunky lens of his camera. “Theyʼre gonna be practicing a new routine and I wanna record it for the school paper.” 

“‘sit gonna take long?” Gladio asked, pulling out his phone from his back pocket to inspect the time. He’d asked the Crownsguard office to be allowed an hour to attend to some ‘personal matters’ and so far, he’d already consumed half of it for Prompto alone. Which was discouraging—since he was already in school, he thought he might also go and find Ignis to give him the plain red gift bag he’d taken with him from the Citadel. Get all this birthday-Valentine thing over with. 

At this rate, he didnʼt know if he could still make it, at all. Which would be a great disappointment, he was really looking forward to meeting with his crush that afternoon. 

“Nah, they should be starting any time soon,” Prompto answered with a rare shade of self-assurance. “Why?” That freckled face turned to him. “Do you have somewhere you gotta go?” Yes. Gladio was glad he asked that question and that Prompto would probably understand him, as well. 

He’d just opened his mouth to answer when a familiar synth melody, layered with echoes and other candy goodness, started through the PA system. Everyone’s attention was suddenly drawn to the sentinels that surrounded the space, all of them topped with large megaphones that came in threes. “Hey, it’s your favorite,” he pointed out the obvious to Prompto who had reapplied himself to his camera. With nothing else to look at, he returned himself to the soccer field. The girls from the cheering squad were gone, and all that was left were two gentlemen doing some minor exhibitions between the two of them. Backflips, high jumps, simple launches. 

“Yep!” Prompto answered, finally standing straighter to enjoy the performance. “And itʼll be yours, too, after this,” he promised in a song of his own as he started to dance. 

“Huh?” Gladio frowned, cocking a brow at him.

—

As soon as he heard the by-now familiar rhythm (he’d spent the entire night last night playing and replaying it to master the chorus until all the words and beats had blended with each other and he was worse off with it), Ignis decided, once and for all, that this was not meant for him. He just wasn’t the type of man built for such candy pop, gushing shows that belonged to LucisTube. No, he belonged behind _desks_. Locked up behind office doors, in council meetings, dressed in cold black and white and not like a candy cane salesman.

Everything came to a head just as the smiling cheerdancers sashayed out of the curtain, swaying their hips and beaming their smiles to the same count. Like an allergy breaking out to a rash, Ignis turned heels— 

“Whoah, whoah, _wait!_ ” 

Ignis couldnʼt even muster enough indignation in him to greet Noctis with a full-blown frown. When he tried, he just ended up wearing his nerves on his face, begging to be let go. 

“Did you forget the plan?!” Noctis had to raise his voice over the saccharine cute melody blaring through the speakers. No, seriously, who thought this song was such a good idea? “You gotta wait for the chorus before you step out!” 

“I am _not_ stepping out, I am stepping _away_ from this farce!” 

“Do you hear yourself?!” Noctis demanded, wide-eyed. The new set of beats told Ignis that they were coming up to the 30-second mark and he started to panic anew. In 20 seconds, he either had to be out there in the front or _out of there_ before anyone could see his involvement. With rolling eyes, Noctis muttered on, “You probably can’t ‘cause everything’s too loud so listen to this:” 

Without warning, he grabbed Ignis’ cheeks and pulled him down to match his line of sight as he told him, “Ignis, _you_ are going to ruin your reputation and dignity in front of _hundreds_ for the sake of _one man_ so go out there, get it over with and _make it count!_ ” That bouquet of roses landed suddenly in Ignis’ expectant arms. 

At the 50-second mark, Noctis turned his retainer around and shoved him out.

—

As soon as the famous dancers from their well-loved cheering squad filed out of the glittery curtain, their mini audience broke out into a polite hoot. Gladio himself didn’t mind a surprise performance here and there but this was getting ridiculous and he really should be looking for Ignis now.

He thought he would give it another minute. Just long enough to be polite about it before he excused himself and set off to his own errand. In the meantime, he might as well hang back and enjoy the dance. Show some well-deserved appreciation for the girls as they spun and kicked and waved their pompom in perfect uniformity. 

It took Gladio exactly two seconds to find out what was happening, though, and he might have dropped his most precious cargo in his shock if his fingers hadn’t held fast to the straps of the gift bag when his presence of mind had abandoned him. In the years he spent studying in that school, he had received his fair share of love letters, poems from secret admirers, chocolates and candies and even barefaced confessions after classes. 

But no one…that is, no one until _now_ , had declared their love for him by way of a song and dance number. 

“This is serious?!” he demanded, bewilderedly, of Prompto. But the man was enjoying himself far too much, dancing to his jam and beaming like an idiot, to offer him any sort of attention. No matter how hard he looked, though, the dancing letters never changed in front of him: _IGINS ♡ GLADIO_ they said in bold, red letters. A treacherous thrill crept up his spine. Gladio would be a liar to say he wasn’t flattered or excited by this brazenness but…but who was Igins?! 

A fresh wave of cheer, wilder than the earlier attempt, brought his attention to a man dressed in pastel pink, marching out of the swaying curtains, past his background dancers, as if he was on his way to his public execution. He had a loaded bouquet in his arms, dusty blonde hair combed neatly as though he was about to present a report to the king…

Oh. Oh gods. 

That Igins. They meant _that Igins._

“ _Go, gooo!!_ ” Prompto was screeching to him to snap him out of the reverie he had fallen into. He was numb and shaking all at once. He didn’t know what the hell was happening but oh his gods, _oh his gods_ , Igins— _Ignis_ was coming up to him with _flowers and a dance troupe—_

It must have taken Gladio all the concentration and courage he could muster to finally begin the descent so he could meet his suitor in the middle. Someone had hurried to open the gates leading out of the bleachers for him. There seemed like a mile to go before he reached his destination so he distracted himself and the drums crashing in his chest by ripping off his cap and running his shaking hand through his hair just to look nicer. Dammit, why did he leave his Crownsguard uniform again?! 

A decade might have passed before he finally arrived in front of Ignis who looked like he was torn between putting up a brave face and wanting to cry. He had sat in meetings where the council members tore his report to pieces when he was _much younger_ but he had never caved under _that_ pressure and had defended himself with chill and calculation. 

This…this was a different monster all to itself. “Hey!” Gladio piped up suddenly, the surprise sound causing his voice to break. 

Ignis beamed artificially in front of him and shoved the flowers to his chest in the same way he would throw him back by the body of his spear. Gladio had to catch both himself and the bouquet with a quick stumble, feet planting themselves urgently in anticipation of the next attack. “These are for you,” he squeaked. 

“Y, yeah?” All that nervousness was coming through Gladio in a flimsy laughter as he gave his flowers an obligatory inspection while he cradled it like a heavy baby. Damn, how much did Ignis spend for this! “Could have fooled me,” he jested, just to try and lighten things up. 

Ignis flinched and dragged his eyes to his feet. Okay, bad move. 

Gladio reached for his elbow. “Hey, Ignis—” 

“Listen to me, Gladio,” those green eyes, blazing like fire, whipped up to meet him and compelled Gladio to bite his lips and silence himself, “this embarrassment has gone on for longer than it is worth it so I will tell you what this is all about.” 

“Okay,” Gladio responded in a snap as if to his superior in the Crownsguard, nodding readily to show it. 

“You have been asking me,” those green eyes began without another beat of hesitation, “what I want for my birthday. Well, it’s this. I want you, Gladio. I want you to be my Valentine.” His… 

His what? “M,” Gladio pointed to himself, “me?” What the hell, so Prompto and Noctis were right. Ignis _did_ like him! 

“Yes,” Ignis exhaled, nodding. “When you go to the charity ball… _if_ you’re…” He frowned suddenly and shook his head. “No, you _must_ go to the charity ball. And when you do, you must take me with you.” 

“As my date.” 

“Yes.” 

“Or, you know, you could just take me as your date.” 

Ignis nodded. “Yes, I am also amenable…” Gladioʼs quick suggestion drew his brows tightly between them and brought his fingers to his chin. If it weren’t for his obsession with everything that was Ignis, he swore the loud vapor pop music would have drowned out his words when he muttered to himself, “Whatʼs the difference?” It seemed so refreshing to see the Ignis that he liked coming through in spite of his diabetic outfit. 

Gladio laughed out loud, then. Carefully, he laid his bountiful bouquet by his feet so he could come up and grasp his suitor gently by his biceps. Ignis stared up at him. “There ain’t a big difference, Ignis. I like you, too.” Those serious eyes turned wide in shock. “I,” he shrugged, “y’know, I would have asked you out even without this,” he flung his hand to the swaying dancers, “huge production if I only realized that you liked me, too!” 

“Then why didn’t you!” Ignis snapped, looking every bit like he wanted to punch Gladio on the nose. He probably shouldn’t feel like this but the thought of it only made him giggle inside with giddiness. “Did you have to wait for me to embarrass myself in front of strangers just to gain the balls to ask me out?!” 

Gladio smiled apologetically. “Sorry,” he offered to Ignis’ frown. “Itʼs just that…” He regarded the gift bag he had been holding on to, finally. Pale and tiny and passe compared to what Ignis put himself through for him. Oh well. Might as well get it over with, all right. “Well, I wanted to ask you out with this.” He finally offered it to Ignis who snatched it from him and pulled the bag wide open to look inside. “Itʼs for your birthday but I thought I’d give it now.” Ignis snatched the hardbound book from within and started to flip the yellow pages in some fury. Those knitted brows went up suddenly in surprise. “You know, it ainʼt much. It’s just some obscure book about Queen Crepera that I thought you might like and you know…it’s _really_ expensive so I thought it might be something—” 

“Where did you find this?” Ignis gasped, still gaping at the old print. 

“Uh…” Well, this wasn’t the kind of reaction Gladio was expecting out of his crush but he’d take it over a polite smile. “So there’s this secondhand bookstore that I go to—” 

“I canʼt believe you found it!!” 

“Uh,” Gladio hazarded a grin, “yeah?”

“Yes, this is it!” Ignis went on. “The Life and Lies of the Rogue Queen…” Those stunned eyes came up to him again. “Oh, Gladio!” Just like that, he shut the book and tossed it to his feet. 

“Oh.” Gladio reached for it too late. 

Ignis had grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him down to crush his lips with a kiss. 

He couldnʼt tell what it was that burst out in wild cheering—the school, the dancers, Prompto or his heart. Everything seemed to exist only in the background when he pulled the shaking Ignis closer to himself and pushed back with his own hungry kiss. A thousand things were happening all at once but his mind was frozen to the softness of Ignis’ lips, the salt and the heat of his touch that told him _this was real_ and just the shape of his waist inside his arms. He was vaguely aware of Ignis boosting himself up on his toes.

It ended with a bang, those howling voices crying in surprise as confetti rained down from the skies, and would have landed on them if the wind hadn’t blown it to a different direction. A smattering of laughter celebrated this charming accident. 

“Party pops?” Gladio asked those eyes that were greener than the field they stood in, looking closely at him. 

“You wanted fireworks but,” Ignis smiled in apology. “We were denied permission so we settled for the next best thing.” Fireworks, song and dance…the stuff Ignis made him feel. 

Gods, but he was the one. He really was the one for him. “Oh, Ignis,” he sighed, tilting his chin up. 

Gladio kissed him again, and this time, Ignis brought his arms around his thick shoulders to anchor himself to him, the both of them to _this moment_. He made it last for as long as he had breath in him yet, sowing his entire heart, his affections and admiration, his _gratefulness_ into that lovely mouth he had until then only been dreaming of. He always wondered how it would feel against his, what sort of tremors and acrobatics might be happening inside him when it came. Never expected how sweet and soft and exciting it all turned out to be. The kind of stuff he could never have described to himself—but made so much sense to him. 

At the end of the kiss, there was still a part of Gladio that wondered if this fever dream would finally pop like a bubble. But Ignis smiled at him and promised him that it was no hallucination as he cupped him by his jaw, tracing along the thin layer of his beard with his thumb. He squeezed him a little closer just to make sure it was all real. 

It would take him some time to believe it, he thought, as they pressed their foreheads together, just so they could exist in the same space for a little longer. Gladio decided, then, that he would enjoy it. That there was no need for him to rush when the future that that dancey song promised them in candy pink dreams was already within his arms, laughing with him.


End file.
